Indie Rockers for President

If I were running for President of the United States and The Strokes were my opponents, my attack ads would definitely paint them as elitists. I mean, come on, Upper West Side indie rockers with rich parents? The ads would write themselves.

Also, I think I’d add Sufjan Stevens to my ticket to get the evangelical vote. Another brilliant move from my campaign.

Praise Him

Those of you who know me in non binary form, are probably aware that this year has been a pretty hard one for ol’ Tim. The wife and I have had to endure some pretty crappy things, prompting us to half-jokingly believe that the earth entered some weird parallel universe after W was re-elected last year. Would you care to see a list?

  • We’ve both had some scary physical inuries that required way too many visits to the emergency room.
  • Our new house has some major issues that were not fully disclosed to us by the previous owners.
  • Our new house has some major issues that were fully disclosed to us, but still suck (we still love our house, though, it rocks.).
  • Speaking of our new house, the main water line to said house burst back in February, costing us around $3,000 in repairs.
  • My iPod was stolen from my car in my driveway by some punk who broke my car window to get it.
  • Remember the emergency rooms mentioned earlier? Well, one of them (Atlanta Medical Center), tried to charge us $100 because my wife walked in with a bleeding finger, was told that there would be a long wait and decided to find treatment elsewhere. I ended up getting us out of paying, but not before I had to jump through all kinds of red tape and “let me talk to your supervisor” type stuff for months. Their incompetence was truly awe inspiring.
  • Some stupid/lame h4x0rs gained access to the web server that hosts themuy and a buttload of my freelance sites, causing a bunch of administrative hassle for me and my partner.
  • My wife has had a lot of dental work done this year and, guess what, our dental insurance SUCKS.
  • My 14 year old second cousin died in a freak accident.
  • My aunt died suddenly a week and one day after my cousin (causing my first cousin to lose her son and mom in 8 days time and me to lose my favorite aunt).
  • Much to my chagrin, George Bush is still president.
  • There are more to list, but from here on down the individual items aren’t that bad, they just form a critical mass of suckiness.

It is in trying times like these that you have to look outside of yourself and surrender to a higher power. Man was just not equipped to handle everything this world can throw at him. So, after searching for all of these years, I think I have found a god I can believe in. One who will carry me when I am weak and walk (or float) beside me when I’m strong.

I am officially announcing my conversion to Pastafarianism. Bobby Henderson has shown me the way. He is the prophet and Flying Spaghetti Monster is the only true god.

And to that, I say, Ramen.

A New Day

I’ve never really talked about why I do this site. I don’t consider myself a writer by any stretch of the imagination, I don’t think that I have a “readership” to cultivate, and I’m not looking to change any minds. The only reason I write this stuff on this site is for me to be able to come back in 1, 3 or 15 years and read what I was thinking about or what was going on at that time in my life. I’m writing to my future self. The fact that it’s on a publicly accessible web site is just so I’ll be able to access it from pretty much anywhere in the world. Occasionally I get all worked up and try to appeal to the outside world, but for the most part themuy is just a dumb journal. If you’re reading this, thanks, but I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to me.

So, with that being said, I’ve got something on my mind today. I want to write down exactly how I feel right now so I can look back on it in the future. I may not feel this way in a few hours, days or years. I may feel this way for the rest of my life.

Yesterday, America went to the polls to elect our next president. Today, all indications are that George W. Bush will continue to be our president for four more years. I personally believe this to be a turning point in American history and that we are heading down a road that will lead to the demise of our country, or at the very least will reduce the United States to a shell of its former self.

It’s easy for someone who is interested in politics to demonize the other side. I try to control myself with respect to that. I recognize that everyone is trying to do what they think is best for their country, just like I am. The fact of the matter is that this country is deeply divided. The events of the last two days have only served to further deepen that divide. The differences between the left and the right are crystal clear at the moment. The lines have not been more clearly drawn. It truly is black and white these days.

For a while there I thought that I was on the side of a tide of change that would help re-build this country and move us toward a better future. I was way wrong. The majority of the people in America are not with me. They are not interested in the common good or their common man. They think the only way to happiness is through money and power and Christianity. They believe that homosexuals are second class citizens and should be beaten down. They believe that Iraq attacked the United States on September 11, 2001. They believe that the health insurance and drug companies will protect them instead of their corporate profits. They see no problem with faith-based initiatives while denouncing the Taliban. They believe you can defeat terror cells of a few dozen people with tanks and airplanes and bombs.

I can’t understand how my beliefs can be so far out of whack with the majority of my country. I find it hard to believe people are such sheep. I cannot fathom how people can foster an atmosphere of intolerance and think they are doing “god’s work.”

What do you say about the atmosphere of a country where people believe one of Bush’s best lines in the debates (of which he lost all three) was when he called Kerry the most liberal Senator.

lib·er·al

  • Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
  • Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.

I feel that the tenants of American democracy are being re-written by the conservative majority of this country. They are weakening the separation of church and state. They are working to weaken the rights of the individual. They are embracing intolerance. They are demonizing the word ‘liberal.’

The despair I feel today is overwhelming. As bad as it’s been the last four years, the next four are going to be unbearable. Bush will elect 4 Supreme Court judges. He will help turn this country into an overbearing monster of bigotry and hate. He will abandon the poor and assist the rich. He will lead us into World War III. He will protect corporate interests at the expense of those who elected him. He will turn every other country against us—he practically already has. He will miserably fail the war on terror. He will believe that God is speaking through him. He will view death as a reward. He will lie to the American people repeatedly and audaciously. He will think he can do no wrong and will not have to answer for his mistakes.

I am not hopeful. I am not optimistic about the future of this country. I don’t even feel that this is my country anymore. I am confused and pissed off. And for all my hatred of George Bush and everything that he stands for, I find it very hard to come to terms with the fact that America has picked him to lead their country.

I typically try to resist

I typically try to resist any conspiracy theory notions that enter my head, but the wife and I have been talking about this and we can’t seem to get past it. Did flight 93 crash or get shot down? Well, there is a website that is trying to find out what really happened. It’s worth a look: United Flight 93 Crash Theory Home Page.

I don’t know, it’s a weird thing to ponder.